Every once in a while, the NBA’s schedule-makers provide some breathing room, a time that allows teams to exhale from the marathon that is the regular season.

While coaches aren’t exactly enthralled at a four-day stretch of inactivity, players don’t mind the period of rest.

The Raptors, who turned in a pulsating effort against Golden State on Sunday, played as if they were in the midst of their mini-break when the Sacramento Kings rolled into Toronto on Friday.

But once the Raptors found their legs, their compete level and realized an opportunity had to be seized, they imposed their will and were on their way to matching last season’s win total of 34 with a 99-87 decision, a score that flattered the visitors.

There are plenty of rewards that await the Raps, but key pieces were able to rest for an extended stretch in this one.

With back-to-back games looming Sunday in Minny and Brooklyn on Monday, the Raptors can further cement their playoff positioning, while maintaining their grip on the Atlantic Division.

Against the Kings, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey used his bench and received productive minutes from everyone.

Casey realizes the Raptors have no margin for error, and called timeouts when his team defence began to erode.

The ball moved, shots were being made and not many second-chance opportunities were able to unfold.

In many ways, this was a very professional win for the Raptors, who trailed only once, by one point no less.

It was by no means clinical, especially when Sacramento scored 25 second-quarter points, and there was a mental letdown after Toronto built a 20-point fourth-quarter lead.

But overall, it was a game the Raps should have won and to their credit they did in moving eight games over .500.

With guys like Patrick Patterson and John Salmons providing solid minutes off the bench, the Raptors slowly and methodically wore the Kings down.

“I thought Pat Patterson gave us a lift and then Terrence (Ross) came in and did what he usually does by knocking down shots,” Casey said.

Ross showed no ill effects of a sprained ankle, scoring a team-high 18 points by making six of eight three-pointers.

Only in Toronto do fans boo a player who did absolutely nothing to warrant such a reaction. Of course, these are the same fans who once cheered for a free slice of pizza, even though the hometown hoopsters were losing.

Rudy Gay isn’t a bad guy, but he was given the bad-guy treatment when he was introduced during the pre-game introductions.

“Honestly, I didn’t even pay attention to it,’’ said Gay. “Boo or cheer, either way, I have to go out and do my job.”

For Gay, it was his first trip back to Toronto to a team that once cast him as its latest saviour.

While talented when the ball is in his hands, Gay isn’t much of a defender and his presence on offence often leads to the ball lacking movement.

Since Gay’s trade to the Kings, the Raptors have been moving up in the standings, their team deeper, more players being asked to shoulder more on offence, the team much more united.

The Kings are in complete rebuild, looking to build around pieces such as Gay and DeMarcus Cousins, an inside-outside tandem that can be lethal when all the parts are in place.

For now, the Kings are missing several pieces and go through stretches where their play is quite unbearable, borderline unwatchable.

The Raptors weren’t any better in the opening half, almost playing down to the level of their competition, which is never a good sign.

The half ended with Gay heaving a deep three that hit front iron, earning more boos, and the Raptors leading 51-44.

The second half began with the Kings having possession, Cousins throwing the ball away when the Raptors came with a tepid double-team.

On the ensuing set, Toronto swung the ball to Ross, whose clinical release provided the home side with a 10-point lead.

It increased by two when Amir Johnson slipped a screen and then took a pass from Kyle Lowry on the run before flushing it home.

The game became somewhat entertaining when the Kings began to play some defence and make shots.

It turned comical when Gay got called for a travel infraction, going behind his back and having the basket waived off, eliciting a chorus of boos that was Vince Carter-esque in its venom.

SWITCHIN' UP ON DEMARCUS

DeMarcus Cousins is an old-fashioned basketball beast, a throwback to an era when big men carved space in the post, lowered their shoulders and attacked the rim at will.

When engaged, when able to play a physical game and when given touches, he’s a handful.

The Raptors knew one of the keys heading into Friday night’s visit by Sacramento was to somehow slow down Cousins and limit his effectiveness.

In a way, they managed to accomplish the feat, though the boxscore told a different story.

Wins and losses aren’t measured in boxscores, unless one looks at the final score, which favoured the homeside on this night, 99-87.

Cousins managed to score a game-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, going 8-for-10 from the line and hauling down seven rebounds. He also had a game-high five turnovers.

On Friday, the Raptors started the game with Amir Johnson on Cousins and not Jonas Valanciunas, who has a tendency to get into early foul trouble when matched up against the behemoth.

Johnson’s quickness allowed him to front Cousins in a defensive approach that puts an onus on Toronto’s weak side.

And when Johnson wasn’t on Cousins, the Raptors turned to veteran Chuck Hayes, who doesn’t have Johnson’s quickness, but he does possess strength.

“I thought Chuck Hayes came in and gave us a boost in the post,’’ said Casey. “Like I always say, he has that old man’s strength in the post and does an excellent job.”

What Hayes does best is to hold his ground when guarding players of Cousins’ ilk, relying on a lower body that’s as strong as any in the NBA.

By freeing up Valanciunas, he was able to guard Jason Thompson, who is nowhere near as dominant.

With Hayes matched up on Cousins, the Raptors didn’t have to double team as much.

“I thought we were awful,’’ said Cousins. “The first and third quarter I thought our starting group was not ready to play.”